PORTHMADOG Town Council has decided to increase the cost of parking in the area’s car parks by 10 per cent, to pay for local services.

The cost of parking your car in a Gwynedd Council-owned car park in and around Porthmadog will increase by 10 per cent, with the money going towards keeping the local youth club running and public toilets open.

The levy has been described by one town councillor as ‘a soft tourism tax’, as the town council has seen its responsibilities increase over the past few years as Gwynedd Council seeks to cut costs.

Councillors decided to go ahead with a 10 per cent levy at their monthly meeting last week, which will see the cost of parking in any of the four Gwynedd Council-run car parks in the town increase from £1 to £1.10 for one hour.

Speaking following the meeting, Cllr Simon Brooks said: “The reality is that town councils are taking over more and more services as Gwynedd Council looks at ways to make cuts. We on Porthmadog Town Council took an anti-austerity line but we need to pay for services like the youth club or keeping public toilets open.”

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